Glengoyne Burnfoot

Burnfoot appears to be a release for the travel market, as I don't seem to be able to find it anywhere else. The bottle comes with no age statement, and the packaging contains a load of bumf about the significance of the name and the Glengoyne production process.

My bottle was a hip-flask sized 500mL bottle, made from a very sturdy plastic, which had a certain quality about it that just made me want to keep opening the bottle (and once the lid's off... well...), however I understand that there's also a more "normal" Glengoyne bottle release.

The name "Burnfoot" apparently comes from the original name for the distillery between its establishment in 1833, and 1908 when they changed the name to Glengoyne.

Quite an active whisky: the aroma of this one creeps out of the glass and tries to overtake the room. From about 2 feet away I'm picking up vanilla, paw paw (I think you guys call it Papaya?), and caramelising sugar. Up close I'm getting whiteboard marker and honey as well.

Taking a hefty swig, it sort of sits on the tongue as a big banana and caramel puck before the volatile vapours start to creep their way up into the nasal cavity. It's not a whisky that fills the cheeks, but it's quite tight and pleasantly flavoursome in a sweet way without being saccharine or sticky.

The only synonym I can think of for the finish is that it all leaves together rather than slowly rolling off the tongue like metaphorical smoke. This whisky just grabs its things and leaves - it doesn't rush; it's a nice finish. And once the bulk of it's left there are chewy elements of spent chocolate orange.

I sort of want to sum this up as liquid shortbread. It's incredibly drinkable, and the 500mL flask nearly didn't survive its first outing.

A solid whisky, perhaps not quite as elegant as its stablemates, but a joy to drink and perfectly good for relaxing with after work or sneakily doling out of a hipflask with friends.